


She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

by Sub_Zero_MKA



Series: Why Is Romance So Hard? [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, High School Crush, Love is hard, Peter sucks at girls, mixed messages suck, the poor guy really needs help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-05 22:36:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11587587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sub_Zero_MKA/pseuds/Sub_Zero_MKA
Summary: Peter Parker was good at a lot of things, but girls weren't on that list. Combine his ineptitude with someone as enigmatic as Michelle Jones, and you have a recipe for disaster. So, when MJ starts to act very strangely all of a sudden, he was no idea how to react.





	1. She Hates Me

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Emotions Are Hard](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11497758) by [Sub_Zero_MKA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sub_Zero_MKA/pseuds/Sub_Zero_MKA). 



> As promised, this is Emotions Are Hard written from Peter's perspective.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter suffers Michelle's hormone induced wrath. He doesn't take it like a champ.

_**She Hates Me** _

 

Peter Parker, high school sophomore at Midtown High and the superhero known as Spider-Man. There were some days where he still couldn't believe it. He was a freshman when he was bitten by that radioactive spider at the radiology exhibit. From that moment on, he life hadn't been the same.

 

If Peter was being honest, he would say that his luck since then had been up and down. There were times when he was at the peak of 'holy shit, this is awesome', like when he help Mr. Stark and the rest of his team fight and apprehend Captain America and the Rogue Avengers. There were also times when he was at the depths of 'holy shit, I'm gonna die', like when he was trapped under several tons of rubble after confronting Vulture at his hideout.

 

He felt comfortable knowing that there wasn't anyone else at the school who had quite as many highs and lows as he did. The worst part was that there weren't too many people who he could talk to that would understand what he was going through. The list of people who knew his secret was short: Tony Stark, Happy Hogan, his best friends since second grade Ned Leeds, the fucking Vulture, and his aunt May. In that order, actually. On that list, only one understood completely what being a superhero and trying to juggle that with a civilian life with important people was all about. It was too bad he was busy trying to guide the world into a better future.

 

Thus, Peter didn't have anyone he could go to for advise on how to be a better hero. This wasn't really a 'learn as you go' kind of job. Or, at least it shouldn't have been.

 

Oh, well. He had the suit. He had Karen. Ned was his guy-in-the-chair. He had been doing pretty well for himself this far, and he was getting better everyday. Both experience wise, and strength. His powers were becoming stronger. His spider-sense was becoming more acute as he got older and used it more. It had saved his life, literally, more times than he could remember. He had no idea how many thugs still used guns nowadays.

 

Peter sighed. With the excitement and danger he knew was expecting him later on that day, school just didn't do it for him anymore. Of course, he that he needed it to have a good future in case heroics weren't in the cards , but it was just so boring.

 

Like, right then, he was sitting in Mrs. Toller's history class, listening to her wax poetically about how amazing Tony Stark was and how much of a disgrace Steve Rogers was. Of course, as if the subject matter wasn't biased enough, she was wearing arc reactor earrings and most like had that ridiculous 'I </3 Stucky' shirt on under her blouse. (Ever since it was found out that Rogers' actions were to save his friend, many people – mostly women – paired them together. Unfortunately, May was one of them.) He loved Mr. Stark – he was his favorite hero growing up – but this was a little much. She had graphs and everything.

 

He shook his head and drowned her out. Across the room, his friend, Michelle Jones, had her nose in whatever book she was reading. He liked MJ. Not like, liked her liked her, but liked her as a friend. She was cool, funny, witty, didn't take shit from anyone; basically the kind of girl a guy like him would like as a friend. She was also kind of weird, but then again, who wasn't around New York City.

 

Mrs. Toller turned her back to write something on the smartboard, so Peter took that chance to pull his phone out of his pocket. He kinda liked taking pictures of MJ. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was very photogenic. He took one every chance he got. The downside was that she may have not known he was taking these pictures of her. That was because otherwise, she wouldn't let him take any, so he didn't have a choice!

 

With practiced stealth, he lined up and snapped a picture of MJ while she was busy reading her book. It was a good one. Very clear and got a very good look at her long legs. Ah, that was to say it got all of her in the picture. Heh.

 

He put his phone away. When he straightened back up, MJ was writing something down on a piece of paper. Oh shit, did Mrs. Toller finally get back to the lesson at hand, Alexander the Great's conquest of the known world?

 

Nope. Now, she was on to why Steve Rogers should have been tried for treason. He sighed again and let his pen drop to the desk. The very next second, something hit him in the head. _What the –_ It was a paper airplane. _Okay, weird._

 

He unfolded it to find a note from MJ. ' _Get out of my school.'_ What? He looked up at her, only to find her grinning at him and flipping him off.

 

Okay, what? It could have just been a joke, knowing MJ, but why? Peter shook his head and stuffed the note down into his backpack.

 

It was the kind of thing to be expected from her. She had a very... acrid sense of humor. She often preferred to use cutting sarcasm as her weapon of choice when making jokes. Stuff like this fell right in her wheelhouse. Still, he couldn't stop himself from feeling a little... what, hurt(?) over the joke. It wasn't really all that cruel. To anyone else, it would have been pretty funny. Still, with MJ... And he didn't even know why he felt that way. He just did.

 

When he told Ned about it, he shrugged it off. “Dude, it's just MJ being MJ. Don't sweat it too much.”

 

That was easy for him to say, but he was probably right. “Yeah, you're right.” He sighed and smoothly navigated the crowded halls on the way to their next class. “So—” He stopped abruptly when he saw MJ standing in front of her open locker, shoving books inside her bookbag. “Be right back.”

 

He didn't know why he was making such a big deal about that note from earlier. It was likely just a joke, and like Ned said, he shouldn't have sweated it so much. He just couldn't help it, though. At the very least, he needed to confirm it was a joke so he could figure out how to get her back. She was extremely sharp, so he needed to be on his game to get one over on her.

 

“Sup, dork?” she greeted him in her usual manner.

 

With anyone else, he would have taken offense and gotten annoyed with being called a dork. With her, he just, like, allowed it to happen. He didn't even know why. It sounded like a compliment when she said it. Or, at least that was what he convinced himself was the reason. “Sup yourself. Are we passing notes in class now, MJ?”

 

She shrugged. “Dunno. I just wanted you to know how I really felt.”

 

That, for some reason, sent him into an internal panic. Did MJ not really like him? He thought they were friends. He and Ned agreed it was a joke, but what if it wasn't? What if MJ really didn't want him around her anymore? She was smiling when she flipped him off, but she only smiled when she was insulting someone. Oh crap. “Wait, I thought we were friends,” he uttered with a confused frown.

 

“I gave you my nickname, didn't I?”

 

Yeah, she did. She didn't have too many friends. The only ones who called her MJ were he, Ned, and the rest of the decathlon team. It was like some sacred privilege to call Michelle MJ, and he was one of the chosen ones. “Well, yeah,” he answered. His eyes trailed to the floor out of embarrassment. He couldn't believe he thought MJ didn't like him anymore. What a ridiculous thing to get worked up over.

 

“Jeez, lighten up, Parker. It was a joke.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head before shutting her locker.

 

“Oh.” Yeah, just like Ned said. Which meant this entire conversation was all for nothing. He probably looked like a complete loser for even bringing it up. Then again, MJ already thought he was a loser, so this probably only confirmed it. He should probably have said something else. “Oh, right! Yeah.” He laughed, but that didn't stop or hide the light red blush crawling across his cheeks. “Well, I-I'll see you at practice after school.”

 

“Yep. Don't skip this time, or I will hunt you down.” Her eyes narrowed into her signature squint so he knew she was serious.

 

“I'll be there. I promise.” He meant it. He knew he was letting the team down, but some things just couldn't be helped. He was going to be there this time, though. His Uncle Ben taught him that a man had fewer things more valuable than his word. He didn't make it a habit to break his promises.

 

“Good. I'm gonna ride you pretty hard today. Just so you know.”

 

Ho-holy shit! Peter's brain slowly tried to comprehend what the fuck had just came out of MJ's mouth. _Please don't think dirty thoughts. Please don't think dirty thoughts. Please don't think dirty thoughts. MJ riding me hard. Goddamn it, brain! Stop thinking about MJ bouncing on my—gah!_ His face felt like he was standing in front of a furnace. “I-I-I'm okay with that,” he stammered. Rather dreamily, in fact. _No! This is MJ, Peter! Stop!!_ “With you riding me, I mean.” _NOOO!_ “At practice!” _SERIOUSLY, PARKER?!_ “Asking questions at practice! I-I'm okay with you asking...”

 

He just stopped talking. It was always a problem. Whenever he got nervous, he starting chattering away with out a filter. More often than not, it made a complete fool out of him.

 

He and MJ just stared at each other for a good ten seconds. Maybe he was seeing things, but it looked like she was blushing. “Get your mind out of the gutter, dweeb. You know what I meant.” With one final shake of her head, she walked to her next class.

 

MJ shrugged it off, thank god. He watched her leave, a little too closely for his own good. “I'll be ready!” he called after her.

 

“We'll see about that!”

 

Peter hustled to his next class and made it just before the bell rang. He took his usual seat next to Ned and held his head to compose himself. The thoughts he thought were dangerous. MJ was his friend and he had dirty thoughts about her. Like, super extra dirty.

 

There was no denying that MJ was pretty. Very pretty in fact, in a natural kind of way. Like, she was one of those girls who was blessed with not needing to wear makeup. Her _very_ casual sense of dress was charming in its own unusual way. Plus, her mysterious personality gave her this alluring quality that left Peter with the urge to just... sit down and figure her out.

 

That was totally normal for a teenage boy to think about a platonic female friend that way. And that was what MJ was, a platonic female friend.

 

“Dude, everything cool?” Ned whispered.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. It was just a joke,” he whispered back, confirming what they speculated earlier.

 

“See, told you. You gonna be at practice today?”

 

“Yeah. I promised MJ I would.” There was no reason to include that in the answer. A simple yeah would have sufficed.

 

Ned looked at him curiously, but thankfully said nothing more.

* * *

The final bell rang and Peter and Ned made their way to the library for practice. Peter failed miserably every time he tried to think clean, pure thoughts about MJ. What she said just had him completely shaken. Even if she didn't mean it the way his dirty teenage boy mind tried to imply, it was impossible to separate the intention from the implication.

 

He didn't know how he was going to get through practice without making an ass out of himself. _This is gonna suck_.

 

When he arrived, his eyes immediately zeroed in on MJ. Man, she was just so great. For no particular reason outside of those stated earlier, of course.

 

“Get over here, Parker,” she ordered as soon as she saw him.

 

 _Okay, here we go, Peter. Please don't make an ass out of yourself. Please._ “You didn't even say it right,” he remarked with a growing grin as he stepped up to and sat down in his usual seat.

 

She just raised an eyebrow.

 

“You know... **Get over here,** ” he rumbled, doing his best impersonation of the second best Mortal Kombat character behind Sub-Zero. Why he did that around other people, he had no idea, and likely never would. Everyone already thought he was the biggest nerd in school. This only solidified that notion. “You know, Scorpion?” he felt the need to clarify for some reason. “Mortal Kombat? Yellow guy with a chain spear?”

 

“Ah. This city was Russia's only open port that was usable year round during WWI.”

 

“Social science,” he sputtered, eyes slightly widened. That was, unarguably, his worse subject. It wasn't that it was hard, but it was hard for him to pay attention. He was much more into math and actual science. Specifically chemistry.

 

“Yep.”

 

He sighed tersely and tilted his head down to think. “Ah... crap... Vladivostok?”

 

She nodded. “Vladivostok couldn't handle Entente shipments during WWI for this reason?”

 

“Insufficient capacity on the trans-Siberian railway.”

 

“Russia could not use its Black Sea ports during WWI for this reason.”

 

“The ottomans controlled the Black Sea.”

 

“These two northern Russian ports lacked a railway system to transport supply shipments during WWI.”

 

Ah, crap. Another tough one. Russian was pretty tough, so remembering all those names was hard for him. “Uh... ah... Murmansk and... Angel?”

 

“Archangel.”

 

“Ah, right.” He raised an eyebrow and smirked somewhat cockily. “Come on, MJ. I thought you were going to grill me.”

 

“Cocky little shit, aren't you?” She shuffled through the cards some. “Austria-Hungary's GDP per capita was this percentage of its 1913 level in 1918.”

 

His face went completely blank. The only thing worse that trying to remember foreign names was trying to remember all of these percentages. “Uh... 64%?”

 

“66. Galacia supplied this proportion of Austria-Hungary's grain before WWI.”

 

“One-third.”

 

They continued in this manner for the remainder of the practice. To his credit, Peter bounced back nicely after getting a few questions wrong. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. It was almost as if MJ was going easy on him despite what she said earlier. _Michelle... riding... me... as... hard... as... she... can... Why brain? Why? I thought we were cool._

 

“Alright, nerd, you're off the hook.”

 

He sighed to release the tension that had been building up inside him. “Awesome! That wasn't so bad.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He stood up and gathered his things. “Hey, you still coming over, right?” he asked Ned.

 

“Yep. I just got the new Millennium Falcon set in the mail yesterday. Wanna put it together?”

 

“Is the sky blue?” They laughed. Most boys their age were more interested in working out and dating girls and stuff like that. Not them. While most boys lost interest in legos years ago, their interest persisted. His interest in Star Wars actually started during the Battle in Leipzig. He mentioned the AT-AT walker and got curious about it. Once he watched Return of the Jedi, he was hooked. The original trilogy blew the prequels not just out of the water, but out of the solar system. Well, ROTJ and The Empire Strikes Back. A New Hope was the weakest of the three, in his opinion. “We should watch ROTJ again while we put it together,” he suggested.

 

Ned nodded in complete agreement. “Yeah. Wait, don't you have Rogue One, though? Let's watch that one, too.”

 

Rogue One was the best of the SW franchise, obviously. That scene with Darth Vader cutting through those poor, hapless rebel fighters was orgasm inducing. He was about to answer when MJ suddenly slugged him in the chest as hard as she could.

 

The wind was knocked completely out of him.

 

What the fuck? Why? He struggled to catch his breath. For a someone who was rather thin, Michelle could pack a punch. But, why the fuck did she just punch him randomly? Did he do something to piss her off _this_ much? He just gawped at her. “Ow! What was that for?!”

 

She stared blankly at him for a few moments before answering, completely deadpan, “Good job.”

 

Good job? For what? Not passing out when she punched him for no freaking reason?? “Gee, thanks,” he muttered as he filed out.

 

“Dude, what the hell was that all about?”

 

“Who knows,” he answered tersely. It wasn't that he was angry, but more embarrassed and very confused. He thought that MJ was his friend, yet she punched him square in the solar plexus for no apparent reason. At least, no reason that he could figure out. Maybe she didn't like Star Wars. Or, maybe that was her way to congratulating him on answering most of her questions right.

 

If it was, she had a shitty way of congratulating people. Funny how she had never done something like that before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Pete. You ain't seen nothing yet, little buddy.


	2. No, Wait. She Likes Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ invites herself over to dinner and Peter misses obvious cues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend on this chapter being so long. Hope you guys don't mind.

_**No, Wait. She Likes Me?** _

 

The next day, Peter and Ned were checking over their chemistry homework while eating lunch. He had mostly forgotten about MJ's strange behavior the day before. After thinking it over before bed, he decided that it was just her being her and to let it go at that. Besides, there was no reason being upset with her for very long. Odds were she wasn't going to apologize for it; she rarely said she was sorry for anything, and when she did, it was sarcastically.

 

“How'd you come up with #12?” Ned asked as he scratched his head. “I stared at it for twenty minutes before just giving up.”

 

He explained how he came up with the formula just as MJ was approaching the table with a salad in one hand and a water in the other. Peter didn't want to admit it, but his eyes trailed from the homework sheet to MJ. Specifically, her legs. Her jeans were a bit tight, so he could see the sculpted contours of each calf. God, she had nice legs.

 

“Dude,” Ned whispered harshly.

 

“Oh. Sorry.” He was starting to stare. He sighed and got back to explaining the formula. Ned was starting to understand, so he eased off and took a bite of his lunch when MJ sat down next to Ned. Like, _right_ next to Ned. Their arms were practically touching, they were so close.

 

A sudden swell of jealousy rose out of nowhere. Like, MJ always sat on his side of the table, even if she always sat five seats away from him to give a semblance of a buffer zone between him and her. Why would she sit next to Ned all of a sudden? Why not him?

 

No, wait a second. _MJ can sit wherever she wants. Just calm down, Peter._ He shook his head and let the jealousy wash away into the ether. Besides, it wasn't like anything was going to come of it. Why was he even jealous to begin with? It wasn't like he liked MJ like that, and he was sure that she didn't like him that way. Or Ned, for that matter. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn't like guys that way. Or girls. Or anyone.

 

In short, MJ could sit wherever she wanted to.

 

With that settled, Peter got back to checking homework. They started exchanging ideas back and forth for a few minutes when he noticed MJ was staring at him. Now, she had long since made a habit of it, to the point where he was used to it. There was something very different about this time, though. This time, her staring was intense and probing, whereas before, it had been mostly curious and observational.

 

It was unnerving. Like, it was making him very uncomfortable. What could she have been staring at that hard? Someone behind him? He discreetly looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was looking in their direction.

 

Nope.

 

When he turned back around, she was still staring. Like, what? Did he have something on his shirt? He looked down and saw that, for once, there wasn't a stain of some kind. All the sudden attention made him regret where the shirt he was wearing, though. He was wearing a light blue polo that was a little tight around the sleeves and shoulders. Thanks to his spider strength, his muscles were noticeably large. Larger than a lot of guys his age, actually. Well, the non-athletes, anyway.

 

Could... could she be staring at his arms? No. No way. He just reasoned with himself that she didn't like anyone that way, so why would she be interested in his arms, outside of trying to count his arm hairs or some shit?

 

Ned noticed it, too. They shared an uneasy glance. “Hey, MJ?” he said to snap her out of it, to no avail.

 

A full minute past and the staring continued unhindered. It was like she was trying to pierce the veil into his soul and find out all of his hidden secrets. What if she could read his mind and was trying to do exactly that?

 

He was becoming self-conscious and fed up. “Michelle!”

 

The sudden shout snapped her out of her long, uncomfortable gaze. “What?”

 

“Why are you staring at me?” he demanded, speaking slowly to ensure she understood what he was asking.

 

“I wasn't?” she more asked than stated. A far cry from her usually pointed, decisive manner of speaking.

 

“You totally were, dude,” Ned argued. “Like, trying to stare into his soul.”

 

Peter looked at her expectantly, half expecting her to shrug it off and give some contrived excuse, like she was counting the threads in his shirt or noticed that one of his arm veins was visible and was tracing its path. When she gave a sheepish, “My bad,” and seemed to shrink under his gaze, he shook his head in shock.

 

Not only did MJ apologize, she did so meekly. He was pretty sure he had never heard her sound meek in the five years he had known her. “The hell's her problem lately?” he asked Ned.

 

“Dunno, dude. Maybe, I dunno, maybe she's going through some things?” he shrugged, just as confused as Peter.

 

“Maybe.” He would have been the very first to admit he didn't know anything about girls. Maybe she was just going through something at home and this was her way of crying out for attention without seeming weak and helpless. He didn't know, but the urge to find out was nagging him. MJ was his friend, and he didn't want to appear to be pushing her away the moment she started to act off-kilter.

 

It was too late to do anything about it then, though. Lunch was almost over and they were about to have a chemistry quiz right as soon as the bell rang. He couldn't be late. “Maybe I'll give her a call tonight,” he suggested.

 

Ned raised his eyebrows. “I'm pretty sure MJ doesn't talk on the phone. She never answers when I call!”

 

“That might just be you,” he said with a cheeky grin. Ned laughed and playfully pushed him. “But, seriously. What if you're right and she _is_ going through something? I don't want to make it seem like I don't care or something.”

 

“I mean, yeah, but it's probably none of our business.”

 

“Still, we should be there for her. If nothing else, then give her a listening ear,” he reasoned. That was reasonable to him and didn't overstep the bounds of friendship in the slightest.

 

Ned raised an eyebrow. “You really care about her, don't you?”

 

“Well, of course. She's my friend.”

 

“A friend that nearly caved your chest in yesterday.”

 

“She did not! I barely felt it.”

 

He laughed again. “I beg to differ, dude.”

 

Peter thought about MJ for the rest of the day. Nothing too major, just what she could possibly be going through that would make her act so off. Off for her, anyway.

 

After a night of web-slinging through the city, stopping crime and helping out where he could, he stopped on a high rooftop and pulled out his phone so he could tell May he was on his way. One of the caveats May gave him in order to keep being Spider-Man was that he had to check in every two hours he was out. Reasonable, and he kept his word. Having Karen there to remind him was a huge help.

 

He noticed he had a message from MJ of all people.

 

> **MJ:** Hey.

 

It took him by surprise for one simple reason. She never texted for the sake of it, which was exactly what she was doing here. She always stated the reason for her text in the first one, like she wanted help with chemistry, or to remind him of decathlon practice the next day or something. It seemed that here, she just wanted to talk.

 

He was not about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

 

He texted May to tell her he was on his way, then hustled back to his apartment. It didn't help that there was a mugging in a dark alley on the way. Seriously, what was with people and insisting on traveling through dark alleys at night?

 

When he got in stealthily through the window, he responded.

 

> **Me:** Yea?

 

Not the most open of responses, but it was too late to take it back.

 

> **MJ:** Just wanted to say sorry for being
> 
> so weird lately. I'm just going through a
> 
> lot of stuff right now.

 

Two things. One, MJ just apologized for the second time in one day. That was surprising enough. He couldn't remember the last time she said she was sorry for something. Two, Ned was right – she _was_ going through some issues that had her acting a little off. Funny how Ned saw it immediately, but Peter didn't.

 

> **Me:** What kinda stuff? R u ok?
> 
>  
> 
> **MJ:** Yeah. Just female stuff.
> 
>  

Well, that was... a lot more information than he was really looking for. He repressed a shudder, even though she wasn't there. She would probably know, anyway. Despite how grossed out he was at the prospect of hearing about MJ's girl issues, he had to be there for her. As a friend. Because that was what platonic friends did.

 

> **Me:** Gross

 

_No, Peter!_ Again, it was too late to take it back.

 

> **MJ:** You're gross
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** ur face is gross
> 
>  
> 
> **MJ:** Your face is grosser times infinity
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** +1

 

Peter smirked triumphantly at his victory. MJ just didn't stand a chance. It was weird; he and MJ just had the most childish fight possible, and yet, she hadn't yet called him an idiot, loser, dweeb, dork, or anything like that. It was nice. It was really nice to just talk with her about something other than school or decathlon; even if that something was something as immature over whose face was grosser. Not MJ's by the way. Her face was perfect.

 

> **MJ:** I'm coming over tomorrow. Just so you know.

 

Wait, what? He was pretty sure she couldn't just invite herself over to someone else's house like that.

 

> **Me:** Wat? Y?
> 
>  
> 
> **MJ:** So I can meet that sexy aunt of yours ;-)
> 
>  

Peter nearly spewed vomit all over his bed. To know that people were actually attracted to May sickened him. Like, that was his aunt, and people were constantly pining over her. Most of the time, right in front of him.

 

> **Me:** WTF?!?!
> 
>  
> 
> **MJ:** A joke, dork -_-
> 
> **MJ:** But seriously. Expect me about 7 :-)
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** NOOOO! :o
> 
> **Me:** Don't come over! I don't want you near my aunt!
> 
> **Me:** MJ, I'M SERIOUS! ):-(

 

MJ never responded. “No, this can't be happening!” He immediately called Ned to fill him in. “Dude! MJ just invited herself over to my house tomorrow!!”

 

“ _What the shit?!”_

 

“I know, right! What am I gonna do?”

 

“ _Did she say why?”_

 

He was tempted to tell him what she said, but the rush of bile in the back of his throat changed his mind quickly. “No. Just that she was coming by at 7.”

 

“ _Dude. What if she knows?”_

 

Peter was about to ask what she was supposed to know, then it hit him. What if she knew he was Spider-Man? It was completely explain why she had been behaving so weirdly behind him. “Oh god. No, no, no. Don't say that.”

 

“ _It makes sense, though.”_

 

“No, it doesn't.” He tried to stay calm, but couldn't help but panic. If MJ found out he was Spider-Man, he didn't know how she was going to react. That was much more frightening than her threatening to spill to the entire school. At least then, he could prepare himself.

 

“ _Okay, okay. Don't panic. All you have to do is hide the suit, right? Easy. You can keep it at my place for the night.”_

 

As risky as that idea immediately sounded – the chances of Ned's parents finding the suit and asking questions were too high – what if there was a situation that needed Spider-Man. He wouldn't have time to go all the way to Ned's place, even if he didn't live that far away, to retrieve the suit. “No, that wouldn't work.” The only other recourse was to try and convince MJ not to come. “I'll just have to convince her not to come.”

 

“ _Good luck,”_ he replied with a scoff.

 

“Yeah.” Once she got her mind on something, MJ didn't give up until she did it. She was determined like that. It was actually pretty endearing, except when he was the subject of that determination. “I'll just say... uh... we have a lice infestation.”

 

“ _Roach infestation?”_

 

“May has diarrhea?”

 

“Excuse me?” May's voice drifted in the from cracked door.

 

Peter let out a high pitched squeak and nearly jumped out of his skin. “May!”

 

“Why do I have diarrhea, Peter?”

 

“Um... I was, uh, just joking, May.” The laugh he gave was so fake, it was painful. “I have a friend coming over tomorrow night. I guess for dinner.”

 

“Oh, a friend not named Ned. Who is it?”

 

He figured she would have to find out eventually, but he really didn't want to tell her. “Um, MJ.”

 

The way her eyes lit up with pure excitement made him grimace. “Oh, your girl friend from school.”

 

“She's not my girlfriend,” he grounded out through gritted teeth.

 

She raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, fine. A friend from school who happens to be a girl. Hm.” She leaned against the door jamb and tapped her chin in thought. “I _was_ going to go over to Linda's to watch Game of Thrones. But, I can't leave you two here by yourselves, now can I?”

 

Man, that was conflicting. Peter really didn't want to risk May embarrassing him in front of MJ, even though she was cool most of the time. On the other hand, he didn't want to be alone with MJ, in case what Ned said was true and the whole reason she was there was to find out if he was really Spider-Man. May could have served as another distraction. “Yeah, you're right. Please, just... don't tell any embarrassing stories about me. Please.”

 

Her lips quirked up as she stepped inside and sat down. “So—”

 

“Wait, lemme just,” he gestured to the phone. She nodded. “Hey, Ned. Lemme call you back.”

 

“ _Sure, dude. I'll talk to you later.”_

 

He hung up and tossed the phone aside. “Okay. Let me have it.”

 

“So, you really like this girl, don't you?”

 

“No.” About a second later, he realized how harsh that sounded. “Wait, yes. I mean, I do, but I don't. I mean, I like her, but I don't like her like her. Like a friend is how I like her.” He laughed nervously.

 

Her headed nodded slowly while she tried to parse through that messy jumble of words. “I mean, you must. You invited her over, didn't you?”

 

“Well, that's the thing. She kinda invited herself over.”

 

May frowned for a moment, then grew quiet, as if thinking. “This MJ. She's the one who reads a lot and flips you off all the time?”

 

He totally didn't sigh dreamily. It was a normal, everyday kind of sigh. “Yeah, that's her.”

 

“And she just invited herself over randomly?”

 

“Yeah.” Peter didn't know where she was going with this, but he knew he probably wasn't going to like what she said next.

 

She smiled softly. “I see. Alright. Well, I better think of what to cook. Does she like anything in particular?”

 

“Healthy stuff,” he answered immediately.

 

“Alright. Healthy it is, then. When you get in tomorrow, clean up around here. No girl is going to take you seriously with this pigsty.” Before he could protest, she was out the door and down the hall.

 

Peter sighed and rolled over onto his stomach. He knew exactly what May was implying. That MJ liked him. Which was absolutely ridiculous. He was pretty sure MJ was aromantic. She just didn't seem the type to do relationships and romance at all. Once May met her, that silly idea would go out the window.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Peter tried mightily to get MJ to change her mind. He tried the lice and roach infestation, both separately and combined. He tried that May had explosive, radioactive diarrhea. He even said that they had just gotten evicted out of their apartment. Nothing doing. She stubbornly told him that she was coming over whether he liked it or not. “Okay, see you tonight,” he said feebly.

 

He spent the rest of the day worrying over whether or not tonight was going to be a shit-show or a complete shit-show. Either way, he was sure it was going to be a disaster. He didn't know why. It wasn't like MJ didn't know how to behave around other people. She invited herself over, so there was no reason to assume that she wouldn't be on her best behavior.

 

Peter didn't know why he was so worried about it. The more he thought on it, the less anxious he became. Almost to the point that he was kind of excited. He had a feeling that May and MJ would get along just fine. Perhaps even enjoy each other's company.

 

_Hey, maybe tonight won't be so bad._

 

* * *

 

When he got in from school, he frantically cleaned up the entire apartment. It wasn't very big, so it was no problem for his spider speed to take care of the rest. Two hours later, the entire place was spic and span and fit for someone not named Peter, May, or Ned to inhabit.

 

“Wow. Looking good, Peter,” May complimented as if Peter had never cleaned up before.

 

He rolled his eyes and went to take a quick shower and get his clothes together. He decided, upon getting out, on a white shirt with blue jeans. There was no need to wear shoes, but he pulled out his white sneakers just in case. He ironed everything, then dressed quickly. He looked at his watch. Only fifteen minutes until MJ would be there. Plenty of time for him to comb his hair.

 

He decided to use some hair gel so he could style it nicely.

 

He spent ten minutes combing it so it could look _just_ right. “Looking good, Peter,” he complimented himself. He tried to flip his comb through the air and catch it all cool like, but ended up bobbling it until it landed on his shirt. “NOOOO!” Yellow gel was smeared on the front of his shirt. “Damn it.”

 

He angrily pulled out another shirt and ironed it quickly. He slipped it on in a hurry, only to curse when it messed up his perfectly styled hair. He had to do it all over again, and of course he couldn't get it like it was before.

 

He heard the front door open.

 

“Ah, you must be MJ. I'm May, Peter's aunt.”

 

“Hi, I'm MJ. Peter's friend from school.”

 

“Shit, no! She's here!” He swept the comb through his hair one last time. It wasn't close to perfection like it was before, but it would have to do. He sprayed some cologne on and made sure his shirt was straight. It was. “Okay. You got this, Peter.”

 

He stepped out, and promptly almost tripped over himself when he saw MJ. She was wearing a skirt. One that showed off those mile long legs of hers. He couldn't help himself. He wanted, _needed,_ to take a picture of her to preserve this rare occasion. She turned around before he could get his phone out of his pocket. “Hey, MJ. Glad you could make it.” He smiled and hoped he didn't look like a complete doofus.

 

“Well, I told you I'd be here, dork,” she answered.

 

Peter took in her entire outfit. It wasn't like something he expected from her. Like, MJ never wore skirts. He was half expecting her to be wearing something similar to what she wore at school earlier that day. But, no. There she was, in nice clothes that were ironed. It... she looked good. She looked really nice.

 

“So, Peter. Nice place you got here,” she complimented when May went to get the food together.

 

“Thanks,” he replied with a small smile. “It's not much, but it's home, you know.”

 

“Yep.” She smiled.

 

Peter felt his heart skip a beat. Usually, when MJ smiled, it was disingenuous at best and mocking at worst. Like, she only smiled when she was insulting someone or being purposefully fake. Not so here. This one was genuine. It was also really ~~cute~~ nice. MJ had a really ~~cute~~ nice smile.

 

What was weird, and what confused him, was why she was smiling at him all of a sudden. She never did it at school, unless she was doing on of the two things he mentioned. She did neither, and yet... not that he was complaining. Quite the opposite, in fact. He wanted her to smile more. Like, he wanted to see a full, toothy grin from her. He had never seen that, but he was willing to bet it was just as pretty as this one. MJ was really pretty.

 

“So, you hear about Chad?” he asked suddenly in a desperate attempt to get his mind right.

 

“That he got suspended for some shit he did in chem?” He noticed her smile faded a little.

 

“Yeah. For pretending he was making meth.” It was really funny, so Peter laughed. He was glad to hear MJ join him. She also had a really pretty laugh, too.

 

They kept laughing until Peter felt a hand on top of his. It was MJ's. He stopped laughing.

 

His stomach started churning. A light fluttering sensation washed over his chest. His heart sped up. MJ... Michelle was touching his hand. Why? Like, it wasn't necessary to laugh. Unless... no. There was no way May was right about her. MJ didn't like him like that, and he didn't like her.

 

He looked at her. She looked at him. They shared a painfully awkward laugh as he slid his hand free from hers. The warmth of her hand lingered for a second until it faded away.

 

Peter got up under the guise of needing to wash up, but in reality, he needed to calm himself down. If he stayed while worked up, he was liable to say or do something he was going to regret immediately. That was something he could not afford to do. _It's fine, Peter. MJ is just being friendly for once. It's cool. Cool cool cool. Cool. You still got this._

 

He returned to the kitchen and found MJ looking down at her phone. Hm. He snuck up behind her and glanced over her shoulder. She was reading something about touching herself. _What the fuck? No. NO! Brain, do not think about this. No. Bad brain._ He shook the dirty thoughts off before they had a chance to take root. “Touch yourself.” He grinned cheekily when she whirled around in her chair, eyes wide. “So, is that for later?”

 

“Shut up,” she mumbled.

 

“Then what are you reading?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Doesn't look like nothing.”

 

She shrugged. “I doubt you know what nothing looks like. Dweeb.”

 

“I know what Flash looks like.”

 

She snorted.

 

“You look nice, by the way.”

 

The comment took her completely by surprise, and it showed. She gently touched her cheek. “I... thanks. You look nice, too.”

 

Peter decided that MJ was very cute when she was embarrassed. He wouldn't voice such an opinion out loud, obviously. But, she was. “Thanks.” He smiled again and nudged her hand. She nudged him back. His heart started racing again.

 

May brought the food in and passed out plates. “Help yourselves, guys. And don't forget to kiss the cook.”

 

“Thanks, May. It all smells great,” he stated. He gestured for Michelle to help herself first.

 

She did, making sure to let her fingers linger on the back of his hand when he handed her a ladle to scoop the potatoes with. A chill ran up his spine. Seriously, what was MJ doing?

 

She and May started talking about different social issues. Peter was only half listening. He was too preoccupied with trying to decipher what MJ was doing. She kept touching him. While he certainly wasn't opposed to it – she had really soft hands – it was disturbing because she _never_ did stuff like this. She always kept her hands to herself. Now, all of a sudden, she was putting her hand on his, letting her fingers slide down his hands, and smiling at him.

 

The term culture shock seemed appropriate, even if it totally wasn't.

 

“That was all very good, May. Thanks for having me,” Michelle stated.

 

“It was such a pleasure to finally meet you, MJ. Peter talks about you all the—”

 

“May!” Peter protested. He gave May what he hoped was a dissuading look. MJ _could not_ know that he and May discussed her in private. That was _not_ an option.

 

“Okay, okay. Never mind. It was nice meeting you.”

 

Too late. MJ seemed shaken. “I-I'll see you at school tomorrow, dweeb.”

 

“Y-yeah. See you.”

 

She was almost to the door, and he was almost free to breathe and think about what the hell had just transpired that night, when suddenly, MJ lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his chest.

 

Peter's brain stopped working. Ho-holy shit! Holy shit holy shit holy shit. MJ was hugging him. Michelle fucking Jones was hugging him. Like, actually hugging and not sarcastically hugging him. He knew it wasn't possible to sarcastically hug someone, but if anyone could figure out how, it was Michelle.

 

But, like, she was so soft and warm. Was that weird to think? Probably. But, the urge to hug her back was strong. He resisted, because he was not ready for that. She just couldn't go from flipping him off and punching him to hugging him in a three day span. It wasn't possible. It was confusing.

 

“M-M-MJ... wha-what are you doing?”

 

“I...” It was a few moments before she answered. “I'm hugging you.”

 

Well, obviously. Why would he even ask that. “But, why?”

 

“Um, I don't know?”

 

“Could you let go?” he asked against his own body's fervent protests. Seriously, if she kept holding him like that, pressing her body against his so tightly, something was going to pop up and make everything so much more awkward than it already was. “Like, please.”

 

She slowly let him go. As her warmth dissipated, he both regretted and didn't regret not hugging her back. “I, uh, I'll see you tomorrow. At school. Peter.”

 

“Okay. MJ.”

 

And, she was gone. His heart was still beating a million miles a second. “Not a word, May. Please.”

 


	3. Nope. She Hates Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ commits petty theft and destruction of property and Peter fails to follow simple instructions.

_**Nope. She Hates Me.** _

 

 

> **Me:** Yo, MJ jus left
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** How'd it go???
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** It actually went pretty great. She
> 
> and may really hit it off
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned** : awesum. But how'd she behave around u?
> 
> Was she still weird??
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** yea :(
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** Wut happened
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** It started out fine but then
> 
> she kept tryin 2 touch me and shit.
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** ????
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** like tryin 2 grab my hand and stuff.
> 
> And she even smiled at me
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** smiled? Like a legit smile and
> 
> not like she was makin fun of you
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** yep. An get this. She even hugged me
> 
> b4 left
> 
> **Me: *** she left
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** WHAT
> 
> THE
> 
> FUCK
> 
> !!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** I KNOW RIGHT!
> 
> **Me:** I didn't even kno how to react like WTF
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** R u sure she wasn't tryin to kill u?
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** Ned come on man. MJ is different, but not
> 
> crazy. Anyway im really confused
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** about wat?
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** Promise u wont say a word to anyone
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** I promise dude. Now wat is it??
> 
> **Me:** ok. I think I like her
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:**...what?
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** yea. I mean, I don't kno 4 sure, but I think
> 
> I might
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** dude. This is MJ we're talkin about
> 
> im pretty sure she doesnt even like guys
> 
> **Ned:** like, she isnt even a lesbian, but like,
> 
> asexual or somethin
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** aromantic
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** watever
> 
> **Ned:** my point is that ur setting urself up
> 
> for dissappointment
> 
> **Ned:** she might not even like you back
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** u got my earlier texts right? She was all over
> 
> me practically
> 
> **Me:** an she was reading an article on touching herself
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:**...
> 
> **Ned:** you mean like... you know
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** No, ned! IDK wat it was about, but theres no reason she
> 
> would be reading that at someone else's house!
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** ok ok sorry.
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** IDK im going to sleep on this an see how I feel in the am
> 
> **Me:** night, dude
> 
>  
> 
> **Ned:** night, bro
> 
> **Ned:** an dont worry. If you still like
> 
> mj in the morning, Ill perform an exorcism
> 
> lol
> 
>  
> 
> **Me:** shut up lol

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Peter's phone vanished into thin air. He searched through his bookbag, his locker, and even retraced his steps when he realized it was gone. He couldn't find it anywhere. He texted May on Ned's phone to see if he left it at home. She said she saw him with it when he left this morning.

 

A cold sense of dread washed over him. “What if I left it on the subway?”

 

“Aw man. It's probably long gone by now,” Ned realized.

 

“No,” he groaned. “This can't be happening.” This was an absolute nightmare. His phone was his only means of reliable communication. What was worse, without it, he wouldn't be able to go out as Spider-Man, since he wouldn't have been able to keep in contact with May.

 

“Maybe you just dropped it somewhere. It'll probably turn up soon.”

 

He look at Ned and just sighed. “I hope so.”

 

Peter tried to focus on school for the rest of the day. One thing he noticed immediately was that MJ was really pissed off about something. Ever since she left to use the restroom in Mrs. Toller's class, she seemed really angry. She also couldn't look at him without looking away a few seconds later. It was weird.

 

“Dude, what's MJ deal?” he whispered to Ned at lunch.

 

He could only shrug. “Something to do with last night maybe?”

 

Her embarrassing herself by hugging him in front of May would probably leave her pretty pissed at herself, but she was fine earlier in the day. It wasn't until she got back from the bathroom that her sour mood started. He wanted to ask her, but didn't want her to bite his head off. They had made a lot of progress as far as their friendship went and he didn't want anything to set him back.

 

After the last school bell for the day sounded, Peter and Ned were on their way to the subway. He still hadn't found his phone, no matter where he looked. It was like it just dropped off the face of the planet.

 

“Here's your phone.”

 

Peter turned to find MJ standing there, holding his long-lost phone out to him. He could have kissed her. He thought it was gone forever, but there she was, handing it to. “Holy shit, thanks, MJ!” he chirped. He pressed the button on the side to turn the screen on, only for it to not work. “What happened to it?”

 

“I,” she started before sighing. “I found it in the toilet.”

 

Wait, what? How? Why would someone drop it in the toilet? Like, who could be that big of a dick? “Come on,” he groaned. “This is my only phone. May's gonna freak.” More like May wasn't going to let him go out without a way to keep in contact with her. It wasn't like Spider-Man had time or the money to use a payphone every two hours. And he was pretty sure payphones were nonexistent nowadays.

 

“Don't you have insurance, dude?” Ned asked.

 

“Yeah, but that's not the point,” he answered pointedly. Ned nodded with understanding.

 

“Yeah, well, that sucks,” MJ stated bluntly. “See you tomo—”

 

Before she could finish, Cindy Moon, one of their classmates, came running up. “Hey, Michelle. Did you get your phone out of the toilet?”

 

That was weird. MJ dropped her phone in the toilet, too. That was Peter's initial thought/hope when Cindy approached them and started talking to MJ. Given how quickly she turned around to confront her, that wasn't it at all. “Wait, what?” he whispered.

 

The cold realization slowly dawned on him. There was no way. She couldn't have. She just wouldn't do something like this to him. Could she? She could, but would she? No. MJ wasn't that kind of person. That was the kind of shit Flash would do for shits and giggles, but not MJ. She wouldn't steal his phone and drop it in the toilet for no apparent reason.

 

Just the thought of it had his blood boiling. “MJ.”

 

She slowly turned around. Her face was blank, not betraying any emotions, as usual. “Yeah?”

 

Peter tried his best to stay calm. This was not the person he wanted to be angry with, especially after what he admitted to Ned the night before. “Did you take my phone?”

 

She didn't respond.

 

That was as good as an admittance of guilt.

 

His mind was racing. How could she do something like this? Why? What could have possibly possessed her to take his stuff? Did she want to find out if he was really Spider-Man _that_ badly? All she had to do was ask. Sure, he wouldn't have told her, but that was still a better route to go than petty theft and destroying his shit.

 

He tried to keep calm, but failed to keep the anger from leaking across his features. He turned and walked away before he could possibly have said something he would immediately regret.

 

“Maybe you were right, Ned,” he said morosely when they were on the subway headed for Queens. “Maybe she does hate me.”

 

Ned sighed heavily and leaned his head back against the cold metal wall of the subway car. “Yeah. But, at least now you know. You can move on now. Concentrate on other things.”

 

He sighed. He didn't want to move on. Peter really thought that there was something there between them at dinner the night before. He spent all night thinking about it all the way up until homeroom. May mentioned offhand that MJ was being _very_ friendly with him. That pretty much cinched it. She liked him, but she didn't know how to tell him.

 

Or, at least that was what he thought. This... not even the most socially inept person would try something like this. “I should be really pissed off,” he murmured. “But, I'm not.” He was more hurt than anything else. Hurt that she would take his phone. Hurt that she would try to lie to his face about what happened. Hurt that she apparently got off on sending him mixed message after mixed message.

 

She liked him one second, then hated him the next. One minute she was punching him in the chest, the next she was hugging him. Up, down. Hot, cold. Left, right. That was all MJ was. From one extreme to the other. Every single time, it was something different. Any other girl, he would have thrown his hands up and given up on her. Not Michelle. He didn't want it to end this way, even if she was determined to make sure it did.

 

When he got in, he told May everything. She was, unsurprisingly, disappointed, but not angry. She offered to buy him a new phone, but he declined. He did, however, ask to borrow her phone for a bit.

 

He went up to his room and closed his door behind him. Mr. Stark gave him his personal cell number in case he ever got into serious trouble. This, he felt, qualified as serious, so he went to dial the number. Strangely, the number was already programmed into May's phone. _Oh, god._

 

It rang twice before Mr. Stark answered. _“May, you gotta stop calling. I told you I'm engaged now.”_

 

Peter wanted to throw up, but breathed in deeply to calm himself. “No, it's me, Mr. Stark.”

 

“ _Gah, spiderling. Ah, wipe what you heard from your memory. So, how goes the webslinging? Keeping low to the ground like you promised?”_

 

“Yes sir. Helping old ladies across the street, getting kittens out of trees, stopping muggers and purse snatchers. Very low to the ground.”

 

“ _Good. So, why are you calling on your aunt's phone?”_

 

“Ah, mine kinda got dropped in a toilet at school today.”

 

“ _What, were you looking at porn?”_

 

“NO! I wasn't, I swear. Well, I was hoping I could get a new one.” Before Mr. Stark could answer, Peter added, “I don't want to come across as a freeloader, but I can't afford a new one, and I don't want May to have to spend the money to buy one.”

 

“ _Kid, you're fifteen. If freeloading is the worst thing you do, I'll be happy. Alright, I'll mail you a Starkphone. Should be there in a couple days.”_

 

A Starkphone? Peter was just hoping for a basic flip phone, something that would let him keep in touch with May while out crimefighting. But, a Starkphone – the most advanced smartphone on the planet – it was too much. Well, almost too much. “Thank you so much, Mr. Stark!” He could hardly keep the excitement out of his voice.

 

“ _Sure thing, kid. So, need anything else?”_

 

He was about to say no when it hit him. He was on the phone with Tony Stark. The man who put the playboy in 'genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist'. If there was anyone who could give him solid advice on girls, it was him. “Actually, I was hoping you could give me some advice.”

 

“ _Alright. So, what's up?”_

 

He sighed and took a moment to get his thoughts together. “Well, there's this girl at school that I kinda like, but I'm pretty sure she hates me.”

 

“ _And you know this how?”_

 

“Well, she wrote me a note telling me to get out of her school, punched me in the chest for no discernible reason, and stole my phone and dropped it in the toilet.” When he listed it like that, it really did seem like MJ hated him.

 

Mr. Stark was laughing on the other side.

 

“How is this funny?”

 

“ _Nothing. Sorry. That just reminds me of Widow. Anyway, sounds like you have a crush on a fourth grader.”_

 

“What?!”

 

“ _I mean, clearly, this girl has no idea how to handle her emotions. Obviously.”_

 

Was it really that obvious? How could Mr. Stark see it without having even met her, when Peter couldn't and he had known her for years? Maybe that experience was what was clouding his judgment. He had preconceived notions of her behavior based on years of observing her, so if her intentions changed, he wouldn't notice. That kinda made sense, he supposed. “Well, I guess. But, like, she invited herself over to my house for dinner last night, and apparently she was flirting with me all night.”

 

“ _Apparently?”_

 

“Well, I can't really tell if she was,” he admitted with a shrug. “I mean, she hugged me before she left. It was, like, super awkward and I didn't really know what to do about it. She's never hugged anyone before that I know of.”

 

“ _...She hugged you, and you say you can't tell if she was flirting with you? Wow, you are hopeless, kid.”_

 

“Gee, thanks.”

 

“ _No problem. Now, here's what you do. Take a day to get your mind straight, then sit her down and talk with her. Tell her you're confused by her mixed messages, then see how she reacts. If she looks guilty, she likes you. If she looks like somewhat irritated, then she doesn't. Simple as that. If the former happens, tell her you like her and take it from there. Easy.”_

 

Easy, he said. There was little doubt that Peter was going to screw this up somehow, but he had to try. There was something there, and this may have been his only chance to capitalize on it before it was too late. “Okay, I think I can do that. Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

 

“ _Any time, kiddo. Alright, I gotta jet. Pep wants to spend a few days in Spain, so... yeah. Tell your aunt hello and to leave my ass alone. Like, seriously.”_

 

“Um, okay, sure. I'll talk to you later, Mr. Stark.”

 

“ _See ya, kid.”_

 

Mr. Stark's idea sounded good in theory, but it failed to account for the simple fact that Peter was a major imbecile when it came to this romance crap. Again, there was little doubt that he was going to screw this up somehow.

 

He spent not the next day, but the next two days getting himself together. Getting over his anguish and confusion was a lot harder than he thought, but he managed it. It helped that he didn't talk to MJ during that time.

 

He couldn't talk to her. He didn't even look at her, because looking at her beautiful face marred by guilt and sadness killed him. He felt so guilty for making her think he was angry with her, but all that would be cleared up in due time.

 

She came to his apartment twice to try and talk with him. Each time, he told May not to let her in. He wasn't ready yet. He didn't want to say or do something to hurt her even more than he already had.

 

There it was. That was how Peter screwed it all up. When he was finally ready to talk to MJ, she had already closed herself off.

 

He was too late.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really glad I decided to write this story. To me, it's very interesting to see the same scenes told from a different perspective. I think there were a few people who thought Peter was being a dick to MJ in the previous story, now we see that he was just being a idiot.


	4. Holy Shit, She Likes Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter laments his stupidity, gets a new phone, and finally talks to MJ

_**Holy Shit, She Likes Me** _

 

Peter fucked up pretty badly. In hindsight, his actions made it very evident that he was shutting her out of his life for good. Not talking to her, not letting her into his apartment to at least listen to her, moving to another table at lunch, not even so much as looking at her, it all made him look like a major dick.

 

“I'm such a fucking idiot,” he mumbled despondently at lunch. He looked forlornly at MJ as she read a book at their old table. She was sitting by herself, but looked as if she didn't care a whit. He knew she didn't. She was Michelle Jones, a girl who didn't need or want friends. Least of all idiots who didn't want to give her a second chance when she made a mistake.

 

At this point, Peter wasn't even angry about the phone anymore. It was what it was. Mr. Stark basically implied that it was her way of telling him that she had a crush on him. He wasn't sure that it went that far, but it was more than her being a malicious dick.

 

“Dude, go talk to her,” Ned urged.

 

“What's the point? She won't listen. I mean, just look at her.” It looked like she was just tuning the entire world out, but he knew better. She was watching without looking, hearing without listening. It was amazing how much she gathered in without actually looking like she was paying attention. She probably knew they were talking about her. “She really hates me now, I bet.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” he sighed. “But, at least go apologize.”

 

That was the least he could do. When he moved to get up, she suddenly packed her things and left. Peter watched her walk out of the cafeteria like a puppy being left behind at an animal shelter.

* * *

When he got home that day, there was a box on his bed addressed to him. He hurriedly opened it and the box his brand new Starkphone was held in. The note that came with it read,

 

“ _Try not to bog this one down with GBs of porn._

 

_T-Money”_

 

That brought a smile to Peter's face. He spent the next few minutes setting up his voicemail, email, social media accounts and the like. Karen offered to transfer his messages and voicemails from his old phone. He didn't like what was waiting for him. Ten missed calls, ten voicemails, and fourteen texts from MJ. All of which all but begging him to talk to her. The last message was her saying she was done trying.

 

Thus, the aloofness he witnessed today. He sighed and sat on his bed in silence.

* * *

The next two weeks were hell. Quizzes, tests, essays, and reports took up a lot of his time, not to mention Spider-Man. All the while, MJ was right there, not saying a word to him. Peter was scared to even try and approach her. What could he say? He had the excuse that his phone was busted, so he never got her messages, but that didn't explain why he rebuffed her when she came by his house those two times.

 

He had to face it: he screwed the pooch big time. MJ could have been the best thing to have ever happened to him. He would never know, and that killed him more than anything.

* * *

He and MJ were in history class when a paper airplane hit him in the head. Deja vu suddenly took over as the scene unfolded. He unfolded the paper, only to find a drawing of himself smiling with the word Tiger written under it.

 

“Let's be young adults, guys,” Mrs. Toller reprimanded.

 

He sighed loudly. Hilarious coming from her, the woman who frequently had been getting into fierce arguments with Mr. Nelson, a staunch supporter of Captain America.

 

He ignored her, because he held in his hand a golden opportunity. He couldn't believe that MJ still saw him as a friend even after all he had done to her. The Tiger thing was confusing. Nothing about him screamed Tiger, but that wasn't important. He grabbed his pen and wrote, _'I'm tired of this, Michelle. Meet me after school'._

 

When class let out, he left it on his desk. He hoped and prayed that she didn't leave without it.

 

The last two weeks had been torture. He never thought about it because she had always been there, but her silent presence had become a part of his daily routine. He missed watching her intently reading whatever book she had in her had. He missed listening to her humiliate teachers when they said something problematic. He missed seeing her flip him off every time she saw him. He missed her witty, sarcastic remarks that should have made him feel stupid, but instead made his stomach all fluttery.

 

He missed her. He missed being near her, hearing her, talking to her. He missed his friend, and he was going to get her back, one way or another. Even if he had to put himself out there and admit that he ~~was in love with her~~ had a crush on her.

 

The day ticked by agonizingly slow. Finally, the final bell rang. Peter shot out of class and stuff every book he needed for homework in his bag before bolting for the door. It was only then that he realized that he had no idea where she was. He never told her _where_ to me him, only when. _Way to go, Peter._

 

Fifteen minutes of searching later, he found her sitting on a bench in the courtyard. His heart sped up the closer he got to her. He tried to keep his face free from the trepidation that he was feeling inside. He wanted to get this right, but he had gotten so much wrong before.

 

When he was a few feet from where she was sitting, he stopped. “Hi.”

 

“Hey,” she answered simply. Her face betrayed nothing of what she was feeling on the inside, like always. It was equal parts admirable and annoying. Before he could get a word out, she blurted, “I'm sorry. About everything.”

 

Peter maintained his calm outward appearance, even though inwardly, he was elated beyond measure. MJ still cared about him enough to apologize. It was a start. Things may have turned out okay after all.

 

“Look, I'm an asshole. It's okay to say it, Tiger.”

 

There it was again. Was that some kind of nickname or something? An inside joke he missed? “What did you call me?”

 

“T-Tiger.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It... it's my petname for you,” she answered abashedly.

 

There she went again with the mixed messages. She couldn't just go two weeks without saying a single word to him, then give him some kind of nonsensical petname. It just didn't work that way! “Pet na— enough! I'm... Enough, Michelle.” Peter let out a frustrated growl and roughly raked his hands through his hair. He wanted to keep his cool, but he was just so fed up with everything. “What is wrong with you? Why are you acting so weird?”

 

“I... I'm not.”

 

Her voice was shaking, and it broke his heart. But, all of this needed to be said. She had to understand what she was doing to him. “Yes, you are!” He took a step forward. “Okay, telling me to get out of your school and punching me in the chest are things you would probably do. But, what about dinner at my place that one time? How do you explain trying to touch me and fucking hugging me?! You don't hug anyone. Ever. I'm pretty sure you don't even hug your parents.”

 

That was uncalled for, but it was too late to take it back.

 

When she didn't respond, he just stared at her mercilessly. It was a blatant attempt to make her uncomfortable so she would, with hope, blurt out what her issue was to get him off her back.

 

It didn't work. “There's nothing wrong with me, Parker. Just drop it.”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

And the floodgates burst open. “Because you're confusing me!” he yelled. “It's like one minutes you kind of like me, the next you hate my guts, and I'm sick of it! I'm tired of staying up at night trying to decode all the stupid looks and little hints you keep dropping that are immediately contradicted the next fucking day! I mean, you hug me and act like you enjoy my company, then you steal my fucking phone and drop it in the toilet the very next day.”

 

“I didn't drop it on purpose,” she corrected unhelpfully. Well, far be it for him to completely demonize her.

 

“It doesn't matter! Do you like me?! Do you hate me?! What? Tell me, Michelle!”

 

She just stared at him, completely speechless and taken aback by his sudden outburst. He had to admit, getting it off his chest finally felt good. It felt good to finally release everything that had been building up on his shoulders since this entire ordeal began. What didn't feel good was realizing that he had just spent the better part of a minute yelling at MJ. He didn't like raising his voice at people, but especially not her.

 

“I... I like you,” she whispered. It was so soft, he almost missed it, but when his brain comprehended what he just heard, everything clicked together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Any anger and frustration he had been feeling seconds before melted away like ice in a desert. “Well, everything makes sense now.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why didn't you just tell me?”

 

“Didn't think it would have made a difference,” she answered.

 

“Of course it would have. I mean, at least I would have known instead of having to guess and decipher all of your hints and stuff.”

 

“You mean you didn't figure it out when I randomly hugged you that one time?” She flashed a half-smile.

 

He smiled back. “In hindsight, that was pretty obvious. But, I'm, like, not the sharpest guy out there when it comes to this stuff. I've never had a girlfriend before.”

 

“You're not about to ask me to be your girlfriend, are you?”

 

“No! No, of course not,” he answered hurriedly. It really sounded like he was. Well, he kinda was alluding to the fact that he wouldn't have minded if she was one day, but not outright telling her.

 

“Good. 'Cause I'd say no.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

She shrugged. “I'm not girlfriend material.”

 

He was a bit disappointed to hear her say that, and even more disappointed that he kinda agreed with her. Then again, what he would know about girlfriends? “Wait, shouldn't _I_ be the one to determine that?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Well, I got shit to do. Catch you later, Tiger.”

 

She tried to get up, but he extended his arm out to stop her. In doing so, his hand accidentally pressed against her thigh. His cheeks colored some. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Seriously, where did this 'Tiger' business come from?”

 

“Oh.” She paused, as if trying to come up with a suitable excuse. She must have failed, because what she said next was terrifyingly honest. “I... may or may not have seen those pictures of you in your underwear.” Her face split into a huge grin when his face went pale. “Pretty hot, actually.”

 

_No! No nonononono! Oh, no. MJ has seen me in my underwear!_ Peter desperately wanted to die that exact moment. His crush had seen him practically naked. That wasn't even the worst part. In order to have seen those pictures, she would have needed to go through his phone. Fuck only knew what else she had seen. “You... you went through my phone?” Panic was rising in his voice by the second.

 

“Maybe.”

 

“No, tell me.”

 

“Yeah,” she drawled. “I mean, I only saw the texts of you and Ned,” his face drained of all color, “talking about me after our dinner, and those pictures.” She squinted menacingly at him. “And all those fucking pictures you took of me. Asshole.”

 

Oh, shit. He had completely forgotten about those. “Oh. That.” On the bright side, it seemed that she missed all the texts from Ned about Spider-Man, so there was that. He calmed down considerably.

 

“Yeah. That. Wanna explain? What? Tell me, Peter!” she said, mocking his earlier theatrics.

 

“I... well, I... you see, I... um... ah... heh... I... think you're pretty,” he answered shyly, his previously pale face growing bright red. “I take pictures of pretty things.” His face felt like he was standing in front of a space heater again.

 

The look on her face wasn't promising. Either she didn't think she was pretty, or she never considered that _he_ would find her pretty.

 

“Oh, really? A hundred pictures, though? A girl could start to think you're obsessed.” She smirked when his stammering continued.

 

He was thankfully she stole his phone and not his laptop, or else she would have found over three hundred pictures of her dating back to freshman year. He really liked taking pictures of her. “I'm... I'm not obsessed. Just very... observant?” he offered lamely. Her eyes narrowed. “I mean, if you'd let me take a picture of you, then I wouldn't have had to take that many.” The petulance his voice adopted was embarrassing.

 

“You're not about to blame me for your stalking habits, Parker.”

 

“I'm not blaming you. And I wasn't stalking you,” he protested. “I was just taking pictures of you without your knowledge. That's hardly stalking.”

 

“That's, like, the textbook definition.”

 

He scoffed and waved her off dismissively. “As if you're one to talk.” She raised a challenging eyebrow. “Need I remind you of the twenty voicemails you left me over a two week period months ago.”

 

Her face went blank. She may have forgotten, but he hadn't. In hindsight, all that attention made so much more sense.

 

“Or the fourteen messages and ten voicemails you left me two weeks ago.”

 

“I was trying to get your attention so you'd let me talk to you,” she explained in a comically reasonable voice, considering what they were talking about. “That's hardly the same thing.”

 

“Sure it isn't.”

 

She scoffed. “The pictures have all been destroyed, so this is all moot, anyway.”

 

“Actually, Ned managed to salvage about half of them,” he replied, grinning smugly at her.

 

“Give me your phone,” she demanded, deadpan.

 

He handed it over without hesitation.

 

She looked it over a few times. “Nice. I'm gonna go drop this in the toilet.” She stood to do exactly that.

 

“Go ahead. It's waterproof,” he replied as if it should have been obvious.

 

“Then, I'm gonna drop it from the highest building I can find.”

 

“Shatterproof.”

 

“Then, I'm gonna smash it with a hammer.”

 

“Gorilla glass.”

 

“Fine. Then, I'll just delete them.” She tried to turn the screen on, but was denied access immediately.

 

“Biometric lock.” Tony Stark was the absolute best and he would fight anyone who disagreed. Including May. Though, not physically. Or verbally. He would just give her mean looks until she relented. So far, it hadn't worked, but he was breaking her down!

 

“The fuck kind of phone is this?”

 

“A Starkphone.” His smug grin persisted.

 

“How'd you manage to get a hold of that? I thought only SI employees had access to them.”

 

“Oh, you know. One of the many, many perks of being a personal friend of Tony Stark.” He exhaled on his nails and shined them on his shirt. “Me and T-Money are pretty tight, actually.” If Peter used his considerable intelligence, he would have realized that revealing that he and Tony Stark were friends to someone as intuitive as MJ wasn't a good idea . Of course, bragging to his soon-to-be-hopefully-girlfriend took precedence over common sense.

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really. You are friends with _the_ Tony Stark?”

 

“Did I stutter?”  
  


“How?”

 

“How what?”

 

“How are you, a fifteen year old high school student, friends with Tony Stark? How would you have even met him?” she questioned, folding her arms over her chest.

 

_Oh boy._ “I... the Stark internship, obviously. He came over my house one day to offer it to me personally.”

 

“Oh, yeah. And that somehow led to you becoming 'tight' with him. 'Tight' enough for him to give you that advanced phone that's like something the Avengers would need to use?” Her other eyebrow raised to accompany its companion.   
  


_Oh jeez._ “Well, yeah. All SI employees have them.”

 

“Which, you are not. Your internship ended months ago.”

 

_Oh god. Peter, abort! Abort! Abort!_ “But, Mr. Stark _did_ give me that phone,” he insisted. At this point, he should have cut his losses and moved on.

 

“Oh, I believe you. But, he would, at best, give you a very basic phone. Because that's all a high school kid like you would need. So, tell me, what would a high school student like you need with a waterproof, shatterproof phone with a gorilla glass screen that can only be unlocked with your fingerprints? Peter.” Her lips curled into a smug smirk when the color drained from his face again.

 

Peter was sweating. Literal sweat was pouring down his face. How could he have been so stupid? Bragging about not only knowing Tony Stark, but also being his friend? To MJ? The girl who could detect the smallest detail in the most insignificant sentence and discern its importance. “I... I gotta go!” Ah, yes. Running away when the hot seat got too toasty for him was a brilliant idea and not at all incriminating.

 

He snatched the phone from her hand and sprinted away. “Bye, MJ! I'll see you tomorrow!”

 

“Later!” she called out after him.

 

To recap, MJ revealed that she had a crush on him, and in exchange, Peter practically told her he was Spider-Man. He couldn't put his finger on it, but that trade wasn't evenly yoked. _MJ likes me. But, she also knows I'm Spider-Man. I'm such an idiot. Wait._ He suddenly remembered something from earlier in their conversation. _Holy shit, she thinks I'm hot._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, putting a two week timeskip in there was a little unrealistic, but it's too late to change it now. I'll post the final chapter hopefully tomorrow, then I'll move on to the next story I have planned.


	5. I Think I Love Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter realizes the ramifications of his mistake, but everything still turns out alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the support guys. I really appreciate it :)

_**I Think I Love Her** _

 

For someone as smart as Peter, he was a major imbecile. He practically _told_ MJ that he was Spider-Man. When he told Ned about it later that day when he got in, Ned was gobsmacked.

 

“You _told_ her?!” he screeched after Peter filled him in.

 

“No! Well, not exactly.” He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “I don't even know what happened. One second, I'm bragging about how I'm friends with Mr. Stark, the next, she's grilling me about _how_ we're friends.” He sighed. It was obvious to him as it was happening that she was going to put two and two together. She was a lot smarter than a lot of the kids who went to their school, which was saying quite a bit.

 

Ned was pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dude,” was all he said for a good minute.

 

“I know, I know.” His head dropped to his hands. Thoughts of MJ subtly alluding to the fact that he was Spider-Man in class haunted his brain every second. His nerves were getting so bad, he was starting to sweat. “Maybe she doesn't know?”

 

Ned looked like that was the dumbest thing Peter had said in some time.

 

Minutes passed without either of them saying a word. “Okay, okay,” Ned spoke up eventually, “you just have to come clean.”

 

“No! I can't!”

 

“Peter, you have to. She already knows, so you might as well explain what happened.”

 

“Ned, I can't. MJ... I can't let her get caught up in this. If something happens to her because someone finds out she knows, I—” He cut off abruptly. He didn't even want to finish the statement. If she got hurt because of him, it would kill him. “If she doesn't know—”

 

“Dude, she does.”

 

“You don't know that. _If_ she doesn't know, then telling her isn't an option.” When Ned tried to protest, he cut him off. “No. It is not an option.”

 

Ned threw his hands up and relented. “Alright, have it your way. But, I'm telling you. She knows and she's gonna be pissed you kept her out of the loop.”

 

What he said was truer than he even realized. This was a months long secret that Peter had been keeping from even his closest friends. It was only by complete accident that Ned and May knew. If Peter had his way, no one would know. It was the only way to keep them completely safe from his growing list of enemies; the top of which was occupied by Vulture, who also knew who he was. It was a miracle that he was in prison.

 

“Liz's dad knows who I am,” he uttered quietly. “I don't know if I ever told you.”

 

Ned gulped. “You mean that crazy guy with the wings?”

 

Peter nodded. “If he ever gets out, everyone I'm close to is going to pay. Including MJ. So, it's imperative that she never find out.”

 

He nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

 

“Thanks, Ned.”

 

“Well, on the bright side, at least she likes you.”

 

Given the last few weeks, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He was sure that he planned on finding out.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Peter was nervous as hell. MJ was notorious for pretending that certain things didn't happen and acting normally, despite having discussed previously something that should have in no way been ignored. Their entire conversation after school the day before fell under that category.

 

“Sup, loser,” MJ greeted when she sat down next to him in their first period class. Just as he thought; it was like yesterday hadn't even happened.

 

That was good. He could breathe a little easier knowing she wasn't going to make a big deal about it. She probably didn't even know. Like, she would have said something by then if she had. Right?

 

Right. Peter was just making something out of nothing.

 

* * *

 

Nope. Nope nope nope. Peter was right. He was totally right and damn him for not listening to Ned when it could have mattered.

 

Peter was doing his nightly patrol later that night when he heard a woman call out to him. “Hey, Spidey! Down here!”

 

The voice sounded eerily familiar. So familiar that a chill was running up his spine when he scanned the rooftops for the source. _Please don't be MJ. Please don't be MJ. Please don't be—damn it, it's MJ._ His shoulders slumped. _Okay, Peter. Just play it cool. She probably wants to ask you for help or something. Please don't blow this._

 

He attached a web-line to a nearby flagpole and spun around it twice to get enough momentum for a theatrical landing. He didn't do that to try and impress her or anything. “Um, good evening, fair citizen,” he greeted. He took on a fake accent to throw her off. “How may I be of assistance?”

 

She grinned. “Sup, Spidey. Oh, I don't need any help. I just wanted to give you this.” She held a box out.

 

_Wow, she got me a gift. Wait, this could be a trap!_ Peter was wary, but he couldn't let MJ know that he was wary. Man, being sneaky was hard. “Oh? Oh, well, thanks. I appreciate it.” Whether subconsciously or not, when he took the box from her, his fingers trailed down the back of her hands. His fingers trembled. “Let's see what we got here.”

 

It was a white teddy bear holding a red heart. “I—” _Oh, shit, she knows. No she doesn't, Peter. Get a fucking grip._ “Thank you,” he said with genuine gratitude. He nearly called her MJ, but thankfully remembered that Spider-Man didn't know who she was. _Please, Peter, don't fuck this up._ “But, I'm afraid I don't understand. Don't you think your boyfriend or husband would like something like this more?” _Seriously? Just leave already!_

 

He knew he had to go. It was safer to just thank her for the kind and thoughtful gift, then take his leave. She would understand; Spider-Man had a city to protect. He just couldn't spend time talking to some random girl he didn't know. Yet, despite how much sense it made to leave, he couldn't bring himself to. MJ looked so beautiful in the moonlight. The way the light reflected off her soft curls mesmerized him. Then, there was that stupid grin on her face. It was just so cute, and he had never used that word with MJ, but it was just so appropriate and oh shit, she was saying something.

 

Something about a card? He looked in the box and found a card inside. It read _'You really suck at secret identities ^_^ <3' _The world start spinning like an out-of-control top. The air was sucked out of his lungs. This couldn't have been happening. Not like this. Not after he had learned to be so careful with what he said and how he said it. He couldn't have just given away his identity to someone after trying to flex for them! _NO!_

 

He swallowed roughly in an attempt to calm himself down. “I think there's been a mistake, miss,” he spoke shakily in one last ditch effort to throw her off.

 

It didn't work.

 

She smirked knowingly. “Cut the shit, Parker. I know it's you.”

 

_NOOOOOOOOOO!_ How? He had been so careful. “I... how?! How did you—”

 

“You really need a voice filter for that mask of yours. You still sound like a fifteen year old boy.” She sauntered up to him, playfully smirking. “I gotta hand it you, dork. You really had everyone fooled. Everyone thought all this time that you were just a complete flake, but look at you. A superhero.”

 

No, this wasn't right. She shouldn't have been so happy about this. Didn't she realize the danger she had just put herself in? That he put her in? “MJ, please,” he pleaded. “You can't say anything to anyone! This is all I have. If anyone finds out, you, Ned, and May are gonna be in big trouble!”

 

“Relax, Tiger. I'm not a snitch. My lips are sealed.”

 

That put him at ease, but he still didn't like it. It didn't matter if she took his secret to the grave, she was still in danger. But, all that worry faded to the background when he looked at her. Her smile was just so beautiful and so infectious and he suddenly wanted to make her smile all the time.

 

“I can't believe I'm friends with fucking Spider-Man.”

 

She didn't sound angry. It would probably come once she had a second to let everything sink in, but he was going to enjoy this moment for however long it lasted. “Yeah.” He pulled his mask off, revealing his tired, sweaty face to MJ for the first time. “So,” he said while holding the bear up, “For me or Spider-Man?”

 

She looked down at the floor, suddenly ashamed. “Uh, you.”

 

His heart started to beat a little faster. Even if he knew she liked him, it was still strange seeing her act so... conventionally affectionate. He had gotten used to her being a dick to him as a way to show she cared. “I like it. It's not something I'd expect from you. I feel bad, though. I didn't get you anything.”

 

She scoffed dismissively. “You didn't have to. Not like you knew or anything.”

 

She was right, but that wasn't going to stop. “Yeah, well... be right back. He handed her the bear and leaped off the roof. Now he had a few minutes to find something sappy and lovey-dovey. A bouquet was too cliché. A bear would just be copying what she gave him. A card was lazy.

 

He opted for a simple pillow he saw in a flower shop window he found by chance. He snatched it up via web-line, then floated a twenty folded into a paper airplane to the shocked cashier. “Thanks! Keep the change!”

 

When he took a moment to look it over, he really wished he had done that before paying for it. Because _'I love you'_ was written on one side in big white letters. He sucked in a big gulp of air to quell the flames building in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't planned on taking it that far. He definitely liked her liked her, but he didn't love her. Did he?

 

Would he even know? Like, what was love? _Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me no more. Focus Peter._

 

It was too late to go back. The building where MJ was waiting was coming into view. The closer he got, the faster his heart was beating.

 

“Here you go,” he said as he handed her the box.

 

“You really didn't have to,” she muttered. She pulled out the pillow and stared at it. “W-wow.” She was speechless. Peter Parker had just made Michelle Jones speechless. Not even her realizing he was Spider-Man had reduced her to a gibbering mess. “Thank you, dork.”

 

That sounded more like a petname than Tiger did. “That's not even the best part,” he said softly. He turned the pillow over to show her the message.

 

“Peter,” she gasped.

 

Oh, man. Tonight was turning into the best night of his life. He was seeing a side of MJ that he didn't even dream existed. He tried to keep it cool. “I mean, it's probably not a big deal to you, but I thought it was appropriate.”

 

“I love it.”

 

“I'm glad.”

 

Their gazes met. Suddenly, the rest of the world melted away. Right then, there was nothing else in the entire world that mattered except the girl standing in front of him. If this was what love was, then Peter was okay with her knowing how he felt.

 

MJ's head leaned down until her lips met his. The whole thing took him completely by surprise. Both because MJ was kissing him, but mostly because holy shit MJ was kissing him! Like, not sarcastically or ironically, but actually kissing him. On the lips. On purpose. Under no compulsion from anyone or anything except her own hormones.

 

It was only a peck that was over in like five seconds, but his entire face was on fire. He looked at her, and she looked at him. He wanted so badly to kiss her again, to make it deeper and more passionate. He wanted to take her and do things that only adults knew how to do. He wanted to discover things about himself and her. He wanted her, badly.

 

That was just the hormones talking. He took in a deep breath to stomp them down long enough to actually say something. “Wow.” Brilliant.

 

“Yeah. Wow.” At least MJ was just as stupefied.

 

Nothing else was said. A stupid, goofy grin had glued itself to Peter's face. At least she had the same kind of look on hers. They only held each other's gaze for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Normally, that would have crossed over into awkward immediately, but it felt so natural.

 

“I, uh, I have to go.”

 

She said nothing, but gave him a tight hug, the second one she had ever given him. This time, he hugged her back and was he glad he did.

 

Bear in hand, he slipped his mask on and leaped off the building.

 

Was this love? He didn't know, but he sure as shit planned on finding out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. Hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it. This will probably be the last multi-chapter story I write for a while since I have a few other stories I seriously need to get back to. From here on, it will be only oneshots. Maybe two-shots.


End file.
